


Falling Slowly

by hotchnissminds



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 16:57:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18319478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotchnissminds/pseuds/hotchnissminds
Summary: after a tough case, all Emily wants is to be at home with her man.





	1. chapter one

The moment Emily Prentiss stepped into her apartment, her walls crumbled. The stoic, professional Agent Prentiss facade dropped and the soft, homely Emily came out. She leaned back against her front door, closing her eyes and trying to fight back the tears she could feel building behind her eyelids. It had been a hard case. Of course no case was ever enjoyable, but there were certain ones that hit hard. Child cases were her weakness. A middle aged man who had lost his son had started abducting and killing little brown haired, brown eyed boys. 

Emily had always loved children, if she hadn't have waited so long, she had no doubt she would have had a few little Prentiss' running around her apartment right about now. And seeing the resemblance to her in those little boys features made it ever harder for her to get through it. 

But she was home now. She had called her boyfriend Andrew before she left the office, and he had instantly been able to tell something was wrong and had insisted on coming over. A small smile graced her face at the thought of him, they hadn't been dating long, but she could feel herself falling for him fast. 

She opened her eyes when she felt his presence in front of her. He was leaning against the wall at the end of her entryway, arms crossed over his chest with a sympathetic look on his face. She pushed herself off the door, dropping her purse off to the side as she did and slowly made her way towards him. In the few seconds it took to get to his side, he had stood up straight and had his hand outstretched for her to take. She put her hand in his and he pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. She put her arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer and rested her head on his chest, desperate to feel comfort in his embrace. 

She felt some of the tension ease as he slowly started stroking the small of her back. They stood there for a while, no words being said, none were needed. He understood her job, understood how child cases always hit her hard. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her like this, vulnerable and in need of comfort, and he had no doubt this would be the last. 

That was one thing she loved about him. That he understood what it was like to work this job, and see the things she saw everyday. And he never pushed her to talk, he knew about how closed off she could be and he respected that, which was one reason why it felt so easy to be open with him. Unlike past relationships, she felt comfortable opening up to him and telling him how she was feeling. It was scary at first, Emily had never been with a man who she felt completely at ease with, but Andrew wasn't like other men. 

He moved his hand that wasn't stroking her back up to cup her chin. She lifted her head to meet his gaze as his thumb made small movements across her jawline. That was another thing she noticed, he loved her jaw. Ever since they first kissed, she had noticed how he loved stroking it, or placing a small kiss there first thing in the morning. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Andrew said softly.

Her gaze dropped slightly, not quite meeting his eyes any more.

“Not really but,” She shook her head and pursed her lips, her head bowing down completely now. “I know I should.” 

“You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to.” His hand was now cupping her soft cheek, keeping his eyes on hers. 

“He lost his son...” She said quietly, so quiet that if he hadn't been paying attention he doubted he would have heard her. “He lost it and started abducting boys who reminded him of his son. He was trying to replace him, but the damage had already been done. Deep down he knew it wasn't his little boy but he didn't want to admit it. His inner turmoil got so bad that he lost his patience so he'd,” She shook her head, not willing to finish the sentence. “We found him. But it doesn't help the fact that three families lost their child.” Her voice cracked then, but she didn't try to cover it up. She let the tears fall silently. 

He tugged her back towards his chest and held her close, his head resting atop of hers as he felt her hands cling to the back of his shirt. He could feel her tears soaking his shirt and his heart broke a bit. After a few minutes she pulled back and wiped the tears from her face. She took a second to compose herself before meeting his eyes again. 

“Thank you.” She whispered sincerely. 

He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers softly, slowing easing more of the tension from her body. He pulled back slightly, lips still touching hers. “Always.”

She let a genuine smile cross her face at the feeling of his lips moving against hers. She'd never tire of kissing him. She leaned back in and kissed him again, taking in the feeling of safety and security that she felt when she was with him. 

After a few moments he pulled away again, leaning his forehead against hers. He brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face. 

“You hungry? I know it's pretty late but..” He started.

“Honestly? I don't think I could eat if I wanted to.” She said making a slight disgusted face. 

He chuckled quietly. “Alright. How about a movie and ice cream?” 

“Sounds good. You choose the movie, I'm going to go change into something more comfortable.” She said, nodding her head back to the direction of her bedroom. She quickly pecked his lips and de tangled herself from his arms and made her way to her bedroom.

\- - - - -

After a few minutes she came out wearing a loose, off white sweater and dark grey sweatpants. She had wiped the make up off her face and Andrew could tell a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders. One of the craziest things about his relationship with Emily was seeing her change from Agent Prentiss to Emily. Agent Prentiss hid her emotions well and was all about being professional. She was standing straight, working hard and being the 'perfect' Unit Chief for her team. Whereas Emily was just warm. She was about cuddling while watching a movie, being affectionate and always looking for contact, laughter and bright smiles and just completely Emily. As much as he loved her Agent Prentiss side, after all that was the side of her he met first, he definitely preferred her Emily side. 

He was leaning back on the couch as she came around and sat beside him, nestling into his side. 

“What did you choose?” She asked as she laid her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. 

“Dirty Dancing. I can tell by the used and abused case that it's one of your  
much loved movies, I thought it might cheer you up a bit.” He said softly.

She looked up at him, her jaw slightly ajar. “You are amazing.” she said in awe, a small grin forming on her face.

He chuckled. “It's not an awful movie, I actually quite like it.” 

She shook her head in amusement before she looked at the coffee table and saw a carton of her favourite ice cream. 

“When did you get that? I thought I ran out?” She said in confusion.

“You did, when you called me and sounded upset I thought I'd pick some up on the way here.”

She put her hand on his cheek farthest from her and kissed the other one. “Again. Amazing.” 

Andrew smiled and hit the play button on her tv remote before bringing her head back to where it was snuggly tucked under his chin. 

\- - - - -

Throughout every passing minute of the movie he could feel Emily's body becoming less and less tense. About a quarter of the way through, she had flung her legs across his and completely curled into his side while his hand had snuck under her sweater was caressing her hip. She could feel herself drifting off at the slow and continuous movements across her skin and by the time they were half way through the movie she had fallen into a deep sleep.

He noticed this and just enjoyed the feeling of her body being pressed against his for a while. He let his hand drift up to her hair and began gently stroking the soft strands. Along with his obsession with her jaw, he loved her hair. He could run his hands through it for days if he could. 

He thought back to the times before he had all of this, where after work he would just go straight home, eat, and then sleep. That was a routine he was glad to be ridden of. Now he had this gorgeous woman that he was able to call his and he felt like the luckiest man alive. 

After about ten minutes of just watching her sleep, he looked at his watch and saw that it was getting pretty late, so he carefully sat up, mindful of the woman sleeping peacefully in his arms, and gently scooped her up bridal style and carried her across her apartment and into her room. 

He pulled back the covers and laid her down on her side of the bed, tucking the sheets around her as she surprisingly stayed asleep. He turned on the lamp beside the bed and quickly stripped down into just his sweatpants and got into bed beside her, careful not to disturb her. He laid on his back beside her and gently took her in his arms, as she unconsciously nestled closer into him, her arm instinctively wrapping tightly around his torso. Andrew began running his fingers through her hair again, her relaxed features illuminated by the soft glow of the lamp.  
He could feel himself start to drift off into sleep, listening to her even breathing and feeling the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest taking him deeper and deeper. 

But before he went completely, he whispered, “I love you.” into her hair, and he swore he felt her smile slightly into his chest. But he didn't have time to think about it before he fell into a deep sleep too.


	2. chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and Andrew's mornings together go a little something like this.

\- - - - -

The soft peak of sunlight woke Emily from her sleep. Her eyelids battled to stay closed, too tired after her blissful nights sleep to be awake. But it was persistent. As the surroundings of her bedroom continued to flood with more and more light, hues of orange and yellow filling the room, she found herself being pulled away from any more rest. 

She begrudgingly opened her eyes and was washed over with a sense of contentment. She became aware of the muscular arms wrapped around her waist from behind her, and suddenly the thought of being awake didn't seem to bad after all. 

His arms unconsciously wrapped around her tighter. Holding her smaller frame flush against his. She leaned back into him as a smile spread across her face. She wasn't a morning person, not at all, but on mornings like today, where she woke up in the embrace of the man she had grown to love, those mornings were worth the lost sleep. 

Her hands came to rest on Andrew's, that were interlocked over her stomach. She loved his hands. The ones that held her to him, the ones that held on tight to hers as they walked together, the ones that smoothed back her hair, the ones that even after years of handling a gun, were still silky smooth. 

She didn't know how long she was laying there, enjoying the warmth of Andrew's front against her back, but after awhile she felt him begin to stir. She turned around in his arms so that she was laying on her back, just in time to see him open his eyes slowly. 

“Hi.” he said huskily as his face came up to rest beside hers on her pillow. He blinked away the sleep in his eyes, smiling, as he curled up beside her, his hand which had taken a firm grip on her hip, began gently stroking her side. 

“Good morning.” She whispered gently, her hand reaching up to gently touch the side of his face. She leaned in to kiss him, savouring the feel of his lips softly moving against hers. She felt him pull her impossibly closer to his side and she sighed happily into his mouth. 

Even in his half asleep state, he took his time to appreciate her. He took in the feel of her soft lips, her relaxed breathing, her silky hair splayed out across the feather pillows. He pulled back slightly, before he began tenderly peppering kisses along her jawline. Her eyes fell shut, and the hand that was caressing the side of his face moved to cup the back of his head. He smiled against her jaw and gave her a few more kisses, before his lips started moving across the expanse of her neck. 

He'd never tire of waking up beside this woman. He loved the feel of her soft skin pressing against his as his eyes blearily blinked open. He loved having her be the first thing his eyes landed on as woke up. 

After giving his fair share of attention to her neck, he gently laid his head on her shoulder, his lips barely grazing her collarbone. 

Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to the top of his head, kissing the soft skin before she gently rested her head atop of his. The laid there for what felt like hours, just enjoying being in each others presence as Emily's bedroom began to fill with daylight, the only sound being their relaxed and even breathing and the faint sound of bird song from outside.

“You don't have to go in today, right?” Andrew whispered, as if speaking any louder would break the serenity of the moment. 

“Nope, I've got the whole weekend.” she replied, equally as quiet. 

He smiled against a collarbone, pressing a light kiss there.   
“Good, you work too much. What do you plan on doing?” 

“Hmmm, I think I plan on spending my weekend with my favourite guy.” she said dreamily. “Maybe go out for dinner, watch a movie, oh and Rossi gave me a new recipe to try, maybe he'll help me out since I have yet to redeem myself from ruining our first date.” 

He chuckled. “He would love that. But for the record you didn't ruin our first date. I told you, I would've tried whatever you made.” 

Emily laughed. “And that was very sweet of you, but I'm not going to risk giving you food poisoning.” There was a pause for a second. “And besides, one day I want to cook something for you that you can actually eat.” 

“Well, my siblings and I were always taught how to cook. Mom thought that everyone should know how to, so I will gladly help you out.” 

She patted his shoulder, “Thanks. You'd think that being an Ambassador's daughter, I would've learned a thing or two about cooking but,” she shook her head with a grimace. “I just ended up causing a few kitchen fires... maybe that's why my mother resented me so much.” She said jokingly. 

He laughed and sat up on his elbows so he was hovering over her. He stared down at her for a moment, saying nothing. He sometimes still couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to be able to call this incredible woman his. 

She tilted her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows. “What?”

“Your beautiful, you know that right?” He said, tenderly stroking her face. 

She blushed and ducked her head slightly. “I've been told a few times.” 

“Well it's true.” He told her sincerely.

“Thank you.” She whispered, looking into his eyes deeply. God, she could stare into his eyes for hours. 

He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, softly but still passionately, holding her closely so that there barely any space between them. He shivered as he felt her hand begin to run up and down the small of his back. They continued to kiss until the burning need for air over their need to stay lip-locked. He pulled back just enough to see her face, but still close enough to brush his nose against hers, still wanting to be as close as possible as they desperately attempted to catch their breath. 

She smiled at him. That smile she only kept for him. The one that could light up the darkest room and lift any bad mood. He would give just about anything to make sure that amazing smile never left her face. He loved so many things about her, he could probably write a long list of them all, but one of his favourites had to be her smile. It was contagious, and breathtaking to see.

He was just about to open his mouth to say something, when he heard her stomach rumble rather loudly. She blushed slightly as they both laughed. 

“Alright, let's go and make you some breakfast.” he chuckled. He began to climb off of her but then was suddenly brought back down as he felt her tug at his arm. 

Emily groaned as she wrapped her arm tightly around him, not quite ready to let go of the peaceful moment they'd been sharing. “Do we have too? Your warm and cuddly.” She pouted playfully. 

“Okay, compromise. We get up and get breakfast, and then we can come back in here and watch one of your corny, chick flick movies while we eat.” he offered.

She bit her lip, narrowing her eyes. “Fine, but were having pancakes.” 

He quickly pecked her lips before practically jumping out of bed, all tiredness seemingly disappeared.   
“C'mon Miss Prentiss, it's time for your first cooking lesson.” 

\- - - - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I won't lie, I'm not really 100% happy with how this chapter turned out:/ but I wanted to get it posted so I hope you like it! feedback would be awesome:)


	3. chapter three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily thinks it's about time she introduces Andrew to the team.

\- - - - -

“Emily, are you sure your ready for this?” Andrew asked her from the passenger seat of her car. 

Emily took a deep breath, hands clutching her steering wheel. “Yeah, of course.” She said through a breathy laugh. 

He looked at her sympathetically. “Em, baby, we don't have to do this today-” 

“No, it- it's fine.” She cut him off, stuttering slightly. “I just need a minute to calm my nerves.” 

They were parked up outside one of her favourite bars. The team had all planned on meeting up there tonight and Emily thought it would be the perfect opportunity to tell her friends about her relationship with Andrew. She had been putting it off for weeks, even though she was fairly confident her and Andrew's relationship would last, there was still a small part of her that was worried it was going to end. Good things like this just didn't happen to her, or at least not for long periods of time it seemed, and even though she tried to banish those thoughts, they was still there, and very persistent. She hadn't told him about it, not wanting him to be upset but she could see that he wanted her to continue to be open with him. She had been doing well with opening up to him, she found it comforting, not forced, to talk to him, but old habits die hard, and she sometimes found herself slipping back into her shell.

Andrew leant across the car and took her hand in his, squeezing tightly.   
“What makes you so scared about telling them?” he asked her softly, his eyes telling her without words that he was there for her, and that he didn't want to push her. 

She looked into those eyes, the ones she had grown to love so deeply. It often felt as if he could see right through her, his soul boring into hers. She inhaled sharply, her eyes darting down to look at their joined hands. 

“I-I don't know.” Her eyes looked up at his for a second, before refocusing on their hands, biting her lip. “Maybe because I've never introduced them to any of my boyfriends before.” She paused, willing herself to continue. She hesitantly lifted her head up, not quite meeting his gaze.   
“Because they never lasted long enough...” She shook her head. “That's what I'm scared about. This not lasting. Once they find out about us, there's no hiding. And I don't want them to pity me if anything were to happen to us.” She was now looking at him straight in the eyes.   
“I really like you.” she emphasised. “Like, a lot, and that's never really happened before. And I'm terrified that one day this will all be gone.” She said honestly, letting a stray tear fall. 

Andrew's eyes softened, his thumb reaching up to delicately wipe away the tear, before his hand gently cupped her soft cheek. 

“I can't promise forever.” He whispered. “But I can promise that I will try everything in my power to never let you go. I like you a lot Em, and I don't plan on going anywhere.” he let go of her cheek, lifting his other hand that was clutching hers up to his mouth, placing a tender kiss to the back of it. 

She smiled at him, a genuine smile. And it made his heart soar.   
“Thank you. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner.” She sighed.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He said genuinely. “I'm just glad you told me. I knew walking into this relationship, that it wasn't going to be all smooth sailing, but Em it's worth it, and I'm so happy that you trust me. That's all I could ask for.” 

She just looked at him, a goofy smile forming as her head fell back onto the headrest, lulling to the side to still look at him. 

“Let's go in and tell them.” She said. 

He broke out into a wide grin and pressed his lips to hers. He took his time though, making sure to drain as much left over nerves as he could, he knew she would still be a little nervous, hell, he was when he told his co-workers about her for the first time, and they were nowhere near as close to him as Emily was to her teammates, they were her family. 

He placed a series of small pecks to her lips after they pulled away, making her giggle.

“C'mon. Let's get in there.”

\- - - - -

“Anyone know when Em's going to get here?” Penelope asked the group, sipping on her cocktail. 

“Ugh, yeah, she texted a while ago saying she was just leaving, she should be here soon.” JJ said, looking at her watch.   
“Did you guys hear she's bringing someone?” Matt said, reaching forward to grab a few pretzels from the snack bowl in the middle of their table.

Penelope's head snapped worryingly fast to the side to look at Matt.  
“She is!?” she exclaimed, mouth open in shock.

“Yeah. I overheard her talking to someone on the phone was I was dropping off my files earlier. I didn't hear much, but I heard her say 'I'll see you there' and since she agreed to be here tonight I'm assuming she'll be bringing mystery person with her.” Matt explained. 

“Wow.” Tara smirked. “Who do you think it is?” 

Rossi just sat back in his chair. The rest of the team looked at him, eyebrows raised. 

He raised his hands in innocence. “My lips are sealed.” he said, a smug grin forming on his face.

“Rossi c'mon!” Penelope whined. 

He just shook his head, chuckling slightly to himself as he took a sip of his scotch. 

Penelope was about to come up with a reply, when she spotted Emily coming through the bar entrance. 

“Ooh! Guys there she is!” 

The team all turned to see her entering the bar, holding the door so the person behind her could step inside. They were shocked to see someone they recognised. 

The duo made their way to the table, having been able to spot the team as soon as they walked in. Emily set down her jacket on the back of her seat, Andrew doing the same, before they both sat down.

“Hey guys.” Emily spoke up. 

“Emily Prentiss who is this?” Penelope proclaimed, as she was the only one who had not met Andrew. 

“Right.” Emily laughed nervously. “Um, Andrew, you probably remember everyone but these are my friends. Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia, Matt Simmons, Luke Alvez, Tara Lewis, and of course David Rossi.” She said, pointing to each person as she said their name. “Guys this is Andrew Mendoza... My boyfriend.” She said, cringing internally at the term 'boyfriend', it felt so high school. 

It was silent for a moment. Everyone taking in the new information. But the silence didn't last long, as Penelope jumped out of her chair and rushed over to Emily, pulling her into a tight embrace. 

“Oh my gosh!” She squealed. “I'm so happy for you! And I want to know everything! And I mean everything. I want no details left out-” 

“Garcia, chill.” Luke laughed. “Let her talk!” 

Penelope turned to glare it him, as JJ spoke up. “You're the DC police department Unit Chief right? We worked with you on that Machete killer case?” 

Andrew nodded. “Yeah.”

“I'm happy for you Emily.” Reid said happily, pulling Emily into a hug from where he was sat beside her. 

“Thank you, Spence.” she said warmly, pulling out of Reid's arms and taking a hold of Andrew's hand. 

“How did Rossi know about you guys before us?” Matt asked. 

“I asked him for help on our first date. I wanted to surprise him by cooking for him and let's just say it didn't turn out too well.” She admitted sheepishly.

Tara snorted. “Should've known that wouldn't turn out well.” She laughed, knowing the unit chief's bad history with cooking. It had been a topic brought up on many girls nights. 

“Right, Emster, hate to interrupt this conversation but it's time for an urgent girl talk. Let's get a new round of drinks.” Penelope demanded, indicating for Emily, JJ and Tara to follow her as she made her way to the bar front. 

Emily shot Andrew an apologetic look, squeezing his hand before taking off after the girls. 

\- - - - -

“Alright chikadee, spill.” Penelope said, JJ and Tara nodding along with her, wasting no time getting to the point as the busy sound of the rest of the bar sounded around them. 

“What do you want to know?” Emily asked, knowing better than to try and keep anything from the technical analyst. She just hoped Penelope wouldn't ask anything too personal.

“How long has this been going on?” Tara questioned, as the bartender generously refilled her beer. 

“About a month give or take.” She answered.

“How'd he ask you out?” JJ asked.

Emily's face screwed up slightly. “He technically didn't.” 

At the sight of their confused faces she continued, blushing slightly. “I went to visit him in the hospital after he got stabbed and after talking for a while I said, and I quote, 'I did just save your life, the least you could do is buy me a beer or something' which then developed into him offering to take me to dinner.” 

“How is he? After what happened?” JJ wondered, concerned.

“He's alright. It was only a few weeks after the case that the doctor cleared him for duty, and he said the wound should heal itself from now on, just might be tender every now and then, which is to be expected.” 

“Okay, enough with the boring questions, have you two kissed yet?” Penelope jumped in, a mischievous glint in her eye. 

“Garcia!” Emily exclaimed. 

“Ah, ah, ah, answer the question Miss Prentiss.” 

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “Yes, we have.” 

“Ahhh!” Penelope squealed, reaching forward to hug Emily tightly. “Boss woman has finally gone and bagged herself a man!” 

“Garcia!” she yelped. Lightly thumping her friend on the shoulder as Penelope pulled away from her unit chief, laughing, which caused the rest of the group to burst out laughing at the analyst's antics. 

“So how's it going with Andrew?” Penelope asked once the laughter had died down. 

Emily smiled brightly. “Really good actually.” 

“You sound surprised.” Tara noted. 

Emily's smiled faltered slightly, trying to shake off the uneasiness forming in her stomach. She bit her lip, nodding her head.

“I guess I just surprised myself.” Emily admitted. 

“In what way?” Tara queried. 

Emily sighed. “I've never really opened up to any guy before. I've always been so closed off and I was shocked how easily I found it to be open with Andrew. I was no ice queen before but, I liked my privacy. I never wanted to share how I was feeling or what I was thinking. It's so different with Andrew and walking into this relationship was completely new territory for me, and if you want me to be honest I was kind of scared. I had never felt like that before and it terrified me.” Emily began, taking a large gulp of the beer that had been placed in front of her before continuing.

“I guess there's still that nagging doubt that one day it won't be so easy. As much as it scared me at first, I actually like not keeping everything to myself. It's nice being in a relationship with someone who I trust and want to open up to. I don't want that to go away.” She finished.

No one spoke for a moment, the only sound being the thumping of music and strangers talking. 

“He treats you good?” JJ asked, breaking the silence. 

“Yeah.” Emily nodded.

“Then I don't think you've got a anything to worry about.” JJ smiled warmly, reaching over to give her friend a sideways hug.

“Thank you guys.” Emily said, grateful for having such amazing friends. She didn't often open up to her friends, with work being so hectic they never really got to have their girls nights any more, but on the off time she did, she was truly happy they were such good listeners. The bartender interrupted her thoughts as he put the tray of drinks down beside her. 

“Here we go ladies.” He said politely before going off to serve his next customer. 

“C'mon, lets go head back.” 

They went back over to the men, who had all stood while they were gone and were now leaning against the bar watching the sports channel playing on the tv. Penelope, who was carrying the tray balancing the alcohol, placed it down in front of them to get their attention. 

“Alright my men in shining armour, drinks are here!” 

Emily went over to Andrew, grabbing his drink off the tray and passing it to him. “Got you a cider.” 

He smiled at her, gladly taking the beverage from her. “Thanks.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging her to his side as he placed a kiss to the side of her head. 

She rested her head on his shoulder, a content smile blossoming across her face. 

“Hey. You okay?” He asked her.

She turned her head up to look at him, meeting his loving gaze. 

“Yeah... I'm perfect.” She murmured happily just before she leaned in and sealed his lips with hers, any tension she had felt earlier now completely gone.

\- - - - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so for starters, I'm really unhappy with how this turned out. I've been working on it for a couple days and I've went over it a few times trying to tweek it but nothing really jumps out:/ So I'm sorry for the crappy chapter, I have been dreading writing this prompt because I had no inspiration at all (probably a reason it didn't turn out too well!) but I'm hoping from now on my writing will improve 
> 
> I still hope you liked it!


	4. chapter four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew takes care of a sick and stubborn Emily.

\- - - - - 

Emily's eyes slowly fluttered open. But as soon as the light hit her eyes, she quickly slammed them shut again with a groan. Her hand came to rest against her pounding head, sinking further into her bedsheets. 

“Hey.” Andrew said, coming out of her en suite and making his way over to the bed. “You okay?”   
She looked paler than normal. She had always had a very pale complexion, but this was almost a sickly shade of white.

“No.” She moaned. “I feel like death.” 

He frowned, and moved from his position standing next to her, to sit down comfortably beside her. He gently moved her hand, and brushed aside her bangs before placing his hand on her forehead. His frowned deepened as he felt her burning hot flesh against his. 

“Em, I think you may have a fever. You should probably call in sick.” 

She blinked an eye open, frown lines appearing on her forehead as her face scrunched up. “No, I'll just get some medicine, I'll be fine.” 

He rolled his eyes at her stubbornness. “Baby I don't think going into work is a good idea. You're burning up.” 

She shook her head, slowly sitting up against her headboard, barely stifling a grunt of pain. Her whole body was screaming in protest, practically begging her to crawl back under the covers and sleep, but she was determined to get on with the day. 

“Andrew I'm fine.” 

He stared at her for a second, seeing past her poker face and noticing the pain she was in. He suddenly reached across to her night stand and grabbed her phone, he stood up and paced around the room whilst pulling up Rossi's contact information. He hit dial and pressed the phone to his ear, patiently waiting for the man to answer. 

“Rossi.” 

“Hey, Agent Rossi, it's Andrew Mendoza.” He spoke, choosing to completely ignore the death glare Emily was giving him. She knew full well that he knew she was probably too weak to get up and stop him. 

“Hey, what can I do for you? Is Emily okay?” Rossi asked.

“That's why I'm calling. She's got a fever and I'm fairly certain she is too sick to go to work, but you know her, she's stubborn and refuses to call in sick so I'm doing it for her.” Andrew answered, turning his back to Emily. 

“Ahh I see.” He said chuckling. “How's she taking that?” 

He turned his head to look at her for a second. Upon seeing her still adorably angry face, he replied. “Well if looks could kill I'm pretty sure I'd be dead right about now.” 

Rossi laughed. “Good luck with that one. Give me a call when she's feeling better.” 

“Will do.” Andrew chuckled. “Bye.” He hung up, now giving his full attention to his still angry girlfriend. 

She continued to glare it him. “Why did you do that?” She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.

He smiled at her. “Because you are sick and too stubborn to admit it.”

“I'm fine! A spoonful of medicine and I'd be ready to go out the door!” 

“Well then think of it as a chill out day to just relax here with   
me.” 

She pouted slightly, making him have to bite his tongue to stop from bursting out into hysterics. She was absolutely adorable when she was mad, but he refrained from saying it out loud as he knew she would do him bodily harm. 

“C'mon I can't be that bad.” he said, walking back over to her and sitting beside her again. 

She looked at him for a second, biting her lip. “Hmmm, I guess not.” 

“See, that wasn't so hard to admit now was it?” he said, gently pulling her close to him so she could wrap her arms around his neck. 

“Oh yes, it was, it tore my heart in two.” She teased dramatically. 

He playfully pinched her side, causing them both to laugh softly. He then leaned down to press his lips to hers, but was surprised when she pulled back slightly.

“What's wrong?” He frowned. 

“I don't want you to get sick.” She admitted. “I can already feel my nose clogging up and I know I've already got a fever and I'd hate for you to get it.” 

He chuckled. “Oh, so you're finally admitting you're sick then?” 

“Yes. Are you happy now?” 

“Almost.” He replied, before quickly swooping in and capturing her mouth with his. It took her a moment, but she eventually gave in to his wants and kissed him back. 

“For the record,” He mumbled against her lips, refusing to lessen their contact by pulling away. “I don't care if I get sick. Being with you makes it worth it.” 

She furrowed her eyebrows with a smile. “That was really sappy.”

“I know.” he said. “But it was the truth.” 

Her eyes dropped to his chest as a lopsided grin came across her face. “Thank you.” 

“Always.” He said sincerely. He stared at her for a while, one of his his hands which had previously been settled on her waist, moved to gently stroke her side, whilst the other came up to brush a stray lock of her dark hair behind her ear. 

“How's your head?” He asked.

She moved her head from side to side. “So, so. I've had worse but it isn't pleasant.” 

He moved her bangs aside again, and lightly pressed his soft lips to her skin. So delicately, it was as if adding any more pressure would only increase the pain more. 

She closed her eyes at the intimate gesture, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck. As he pulled back, he rubbed his nose lightly against hers, using the hand that was pushing away her hair to rub her jaw softly. 

“What do you want to do today?” He asked quietly, tracing the contours of her face with his fingers.

She grimaced. “Not much. My body feels like it's on fire so I'd stay in bed all day if I had a choice.” 

“Your wish is my command.” he pecked her lips. “You, are going to lay here whilst I go and make you my Mom's special soup. It has a magic healing affect.” 

Emily chuckled. “I hope so.” She tried to hide the yawn that was coming, but failed miserably. Andrew smiled at her before getting up from the bed. 

“Lie down Em, I'll be back soon.” He said, helping her lay back down under her soft cotton sheets. He lent down and kissed her cheek before making his way to her kitchen. 

 

20 minutes later, he slowly made his way back to her bedroom, a steaming bowl of soup in his hands. He opened the door and his heart practically melted at the sight. Emily was curled up on the side of the bed he usually slept on when he stayed over, fast asleep, her hand clutching his pillow and the sheet completely covering her shoulders. He could see her shivering slightly and he quickly went over to the bed and sat beside her again. 

He placed the soup on the night stand and put his hand on her arm. He gently shook her, not wanting to startle her and it took a moment, but her eyes gradually started to open. 

As her eyes adjusted to the sunlight streaming through the bedroom, they landed on her boyfriend, his soft smile causing butterflies to flutter in her stomach. It never failed to surprise her how happy he made her without really trying. 

“Hi.” Emily rasped out, lazily stretching her muscles. “Did I fall asleep?” 

“Yeah, but it's okay.” He lent forward and kissed the top of her head. “You ready for your soup? I brought you some medicine too, hopefully it will kick in soon.” 

She nodded groggily, attempting to sit up, but struggling in the process. He tried to help, but she swatted his hands away, a dry 'I'm fine' escaping her lips. He rolled his eyes, but let her do it herself.

She sat heavily against the headboard, her hand clutching the sheet tightly to her body. He carefully passed her the bowl of soup and the pills, watching as she took them into her hands, taking a sip of the water beside her as she swallowed the pills before blowing on the soup gently, grabbing the spoon from his other hand and taking a spoonful of the steamy liquid. 

She let it run down her throat, a content feeling of warmth spreading through her. 

“Good?” He asked. 

She nodded, smiling, before looking into his dark brown eyes. “Very good.” she replied, taking another mouthful. 

He beamed at her. He sat and watched her finish the soup for the next few minutes. Once she had done, she returned the bowl to its previous position on the night stand, before she gingerly laid back against the pillows. She patted the spaced next to her, indicating for him to come sit beside her.

“I can already feel the medicine kicking in.” She let out through another yawn. “Come lay with me.” 

He didn't hesitate for a second, quickly slipping in under the covers beside her, lifting his arm in the process. She wasted no time cuddling into his side, her head laying snuggly on his chest as she felt his muscular arm wrap tightly around her shoulders, pulling her impossibly close. 

Emily could feel herself slowly drifting off again, the bunged up nose, sore throat or pounding head not bothering her at all as she lay contently in the arms of the man she loved. She could just about hear him sigh happily, before placing a kiss to her temple. 

“Sleep, baby.” Andrew whispered. 

She nuzzled closer to him, her nose just grazing the side of the soft skin of his neck, before she dozed off into a deep sleep.

 

A few days later, Emily was standing outside Andrew's apartment door. She had just got off from work, and she had decided to surprise him by stopping by with some dinner, but was surprised when after the first knock, no one answered. 

She frowned, before knocking again. She waited, and waited, but there was still no answer.

She pulled out her phone, and was about to text him, when the front door gradually opened, revealing a worn down looking Andrew. 

Her jaw dropped, a slight chuckling passing her lips. “You look rough.”

He glared at her, one hand on his hip. “I'm sick.” 

She tightly pursed her lips, trying desperately to suppress the grin her mouth wanted to form. “I told you,” She started, her voice a dead give away that she found his state quite amusing. “You should've stayed away.” She teased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, finally a chapter I'm pleased with! I'm sorry for the slow update, I went away for a few days with my family and I wanted to stay offline as much as possible. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are much appreciated!


	5. chapter five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew takes Emily out for dinner, leading to a surprising revelation.

Andrew was waiting patiently outside of Emily's apartment. He had called her earlier on his way home from work and had offered to take her out for dinner, which she had very willingly agreed to. Now he was waiting for her to answer the door, dressed in his favourite suit and a dark emerald green tie laid across his chest

Surprisingly, the couple had yet to go to dinner together. Their time together had mainly consisted of movie nights, cuddling, walks together, cooking, sleeping, and more everyday couple activities, never a meal out at a fancy restaurant. And he was determined to change that, he wanted to experience everything with her. He knew she was never one to enjoy flashing her money, but he also knew that fancy food was a guilty pleasure of hers. He had seen many cooking magazines around her home whist he was there and he knew she would flip through the pages occasionally, practically drooling at the sight of the dishes, no matter how many times she tried to deny it. 

He was pulled from his thoughts as her front door swung open and his jaw dropped at the sight of her. She was wearing the same dress she had worn on their first date, black heals, and her hair was curled, falling over her shoulders . She looked breathtaking.

His mouth remained agape, causing a shy smile to blossom across her face. It still amazed her that he could turn her from a confident woman to a pile of mush in seconds.

“Hi.” She said.

“Em, you look... incredible.” He commented, still in awe.

She blushed, ducking her head. He took a step forward to take her into his arms, his hands settling on the small of her back as hers took place on his chest. 

“I'm so glad I get to see you in this dress again.” he murmured. 

She chuckled. “Yeah, well you caught me of guard tonight. I had no idea what to wear so I just threw this on and quickly did my hair. Thanks for giving a girl a warning.” She teased.

“Well if it makes you feel any better, your hair looks perfect.” he said sincerely, tucking one of the locks behind her ear.

She leaned in to quickly peck his lips. “Thanks. Where are we going?” She asked, fiddling with his tie. 

“That's a surprise.” 

She frowned, clearly unimpressed. “Andrew c'mon! I hate surprises.” 

He laughed. “I know. But you'll like this one.” 

She sighed. “Alright. I'll trust you.” 

He grinned. “Good.” he kissed her. “C'mon let's go, I don't want to miss our reservation.” 

 

Emily's jaw dropped as he stopped in front of the restaurant. They had been walking alongside each other, hands tightly grasping the others, just enjoying one another's company, when he had suddenly stopped. As she looked at the sign above the place, she couldn't hide her surprise.

“Andrew, how did you get a reservation here?” She asked, in complete awe.

He smirked. “I have my ways.” 

It was a new Italian restaurant that she had been dying to go to since she had first heard about it, she had even once tried to get a table there for Andrew and herself, but had been fully booked for weeks. 

“I-I've been trying to get a table here since it opened, h-how did you do it?” She said, her eyebrows completely hidden under her bangs. 

“My college room mate, Joe, is the main chef here, his dream was always to be a professional cook in a successful restaurant and promised me a table when the day came. Works been busy so I had been putting it off but here we are. You happy?” 

Her face was lit up like a Christmas tree, a wide grin spreading across her face. “Are you kidding? I'm ecstatic!” 

He squeezed her hand. “Alright, let's go in.” He said, tugging her forward. 

As they both stepped inside, the aroma of herbs and spices hit their nostrils, making Emily even more excited. 

“Hi there, my name is Laura. How can I help you?” A cheerful female voice said to them, breaking them away from their inner thoughts. 

Andrew turned to the woman, who couldn't be any older than 18 and smiled. “Yes, I have a reservation booked under the name Mendoza.” 

She went to the booking stand and looked at the list before her, skimming the list until she found his name. “Andrew Mendoza?”

“That's me.” 

The girl smiled brightly. “Follow me!” She said, quickly turning on her heal as she indicated for them to follow her. 

Emily looped her arm through his, her hand clutching his bicep as they shared a warm smile before following Laura.

“Boss gave me special orders to seat you guys here, it's one of our best seats in the house.” Laura said, stopping in front of a table sectioned off from the rest, a large window to their left, giving the most gorgeous view of the local park, a large lake adorning the centre. 

“Wow!” Emily exclaimed. “The view is amazing!” She took a step forward to admire the view as Andrew thanked Laura, before she walked away, leaving the couple to themselves. 

He came up behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. “You good?”

She smiled. “Better than good. You are an incredible man.” She said, looking to her side so she could see him, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek. 

“We should be thanking Joe. He is the one who set this up for us.” 

“We can thank him later. I want to spend some quality time with you.” 

“Then let's sit.” He pulled back from her, turning her around and grabbing her hands, pulling her towards the table. He pulled back her chair, indicating for her to sit. She did, and he soon followed. 

He leant forward to once again take her smaller hand in his larger one. 

She rested her head on her other hand that wasn't clutching his. “I'm really glad you were able to get us in here.” 

“Me too. Thank god for college friends.” 

She laughed. “Yeah... I thought for a while that I'd have to use my parents name to get a table here.” She joked. 

“You know you've never really talked about them before... Your parents.” He asked curiously, stroking the back of her hand.

“Not really much to talk about.” She muttered. 

He raised an eyebrow, saying without words for her to continue. 

She rolled her eyes, scoffing slightly. “They were never really 'parents'” A sad smile graced her face. “My Mother being an Ambassador and my Father being a Senator, they were very often too busy for me. I mean they gave me everything I needed, you know like food, a roof over my head. But I never had the 'love'. They were never very affectionate, to me or each other. So I was never really close to them, they were always too caught up with work.” she paused, pursing her lips. “Now I only really talk to them when I have too. I haven't seen my dad in a few years now actually.” She finished, looking down at her hand that was now fiddling with her napkin.

He gave her an empathetic smile. “I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

She shook her head, meeting his eyes again. “No you didn't.” She laughed quietly. “I don't mind talking about it. It just kind of sucks you know? I always wished I had normal parents.” 

"I'm sorry honey. But hey, my mom can't wait to meet you. I don't think she can stop telling everyone that her 'little boy' is dating someone seriously.” 

Emily's eyes widened. “You've told her about me?” She said incredulously. 

He chuckled. “Yeah I have. I forgot to tell you, but she was actually thinking of coming down here from Baltimore in a few weeks.” 

Her eyes almost bugged out of her head. 

“Hey.” He said calmly. “Don't worry about it! You two will get along great!” He reassured her. But she didn't look entirely convinced. 

She frowned and was about to open her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. “And besides, it won't be for awhile. I don't want you to worry your pretty little head with this.” He said. 

She rolled her eyes. “Alright. I will try not to.” 

He kissed her hand. “Good.” 

After staring at each other for some time, just enjoying being in each others company, the server came to their table and interrupted the peaceful moment. 

“Hello, my name is Carlo, I will be your waiter this evening.” He said in a thick Italian accent. “Joe has already had the chefs prepare you with two of our best dishes, as well as a bottle of our finest wine.” He finished, turning slightly to wave to the people behind the bar, and a few moments later, a man came out with two wine glasses placed delicately in one hand, and a chilled wine bottle in the other. 

He placed them on the table, nodding to them politely before going back behind the bar. 

“Your meals shall be with you shortly, is there anything else I can get for you both?” Carlo asked, turning back to the couple. 

“No, but thank you.” Emily smiled brightly. Carlo simply nodded and walked away from the table, leaving the two for themselves. 

For the next couple of hours, the smiles never disappeared from their faces. Their time together was spent sharing anything and everything with each other, sneaking in a kiss or two every now and then. Not long after Carlo had left, two new servers had come along with their meals, placing them in front of them before whisking away again. Joe had prepared them both with his signature Lasagne, and neither were kidding when they said it was like heaven on a plate. Now, long after their food had been eaten, they were still sat, talking and laughing with each other. Emily stared at him lovingly as he shared another childhood story with her. She couldn't believe how smitten she was over him. It was almost like young love, she felt like a teenager all over again.

She had come to the conclusion weeks ago that she had fallen for him, though she had a feeling she knew from the moment she'd met him. The amount of times she had almost let the endearment slip from her mouth was too many to remember. She didn't know why, but every time she thought she was ready to say it, it was like the words got jammed in her throat. Deep down she knew she was still terrified that he'd one day realise she wasn't enough and leave. As amazing as he had been to her, some of her insecurities were still at the surface, and she sometimes struggled to bury them. 

But she did love him, god she really did. 

 

Another thirty minutes later, they were getting ready to leave. After going to the back and thanking Andrew's friend, promising to meet up for a drink in the near future, the two of them exited the restaurant, coming out into the surprisingly warm, spring air. 

After grasping on tightly to her hand, he turned to face her. “Wanna go for a walk? The lake front's always open, maybe you'd like to go and see it up close?” 

She looked at him adoringly. “I'd love that.” 

They walked slowly across to the park, taking their time as they eventually reached the walkway beside the glistening water, the only noise being the peaceful flow of the lake, and the clicking of Emily's heals as they met the pavement. They walked quietly together for what felt like forever, no words were needed as their silence said everything. 

After walking for awhile, just enjoying each others company, he stopped walking and stood in front of her. 

Her eyebrows furrowed, a small smile forming on her face. “What are you doing?” 

He didn't say anything, just grabbed her other hand and pulled her in tightly, leaning in close to her, but not yet kissing her. 

“What is it?” She murmured, eyes downcast as she looked at his lips. 

Andrew dropped one of her hands to cup her cheek, his thumb softly stroking her cheekbone. Her eyes fluttered closed, the sensation of his skin on hers creating a content feeling to spread across her body, her frame practically melting into his embrace. 

“You are so perfect.” He whispered admiringly. 

She chuckled breathlessly. “I'm really not.” 

“You're perfect to me.” He said seriously, causing her to open her eyes. She met his gaze and it was almost like he could read her like an open book, memorizing her every thought. 

Andrew's hand moved to her hair where his fingers clutched the soft strands, tugging her in so he could press his lips on hers. 

He kissed her with equal passion and softness, savouring the feel of her so close. He ran his hand through her hair, simultaneously caressing her hand, while she kept her free hand on his cheek, stroking her fingers over his stubble. 

Emily pulled back reluctantly a few moments later, gasping for air. She stared into his eyes as they opened. He moved his hands to wrap tightly around her, and she followed by putting her hands on the back of his neck, resting her forehead on his. As she watched him gaze so lovingly at her, she felt her heart leap into her throat. This is the perfect moment.

“I love you...” She said breathlessly, before she had even realised the words had left her mouth. He pulled away slightly, still holding her to him, clearly in shock.

Her mouth dropped slightly, and mentally cursed herself for saying it so soon. “I-I'm s-” She started but was almost immediately cut off as Andrew swept in and crashed his mouth to hers again, taking away the little breath she had left.

She didn't try to stop herself from kissing him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him impossibly closer.

“I love you too.” He murmured, before kissing her again, more softly this time and Emily couldn't hold back the grin she felt forming on her face.

He poured his heart and soul into the kiss, trying to show her without words how much he loved her and he felt himself grinning along with her. 

Quickly after separating, they stood there beaming at each other, physically unable to hide their happiness. His eyes bored into hers, taking in her gorgeous features. Her eyes sparkling in the moonlight, the slight warm breeze in the air causing her hair to sway gently, she was his definition of absolute perfection. 

“God, I love you so much Em.” He pecked her lips. “I'm just sorry you had to say it first.” 

She shook her head hurriedly. “Don't be.” She grazed his lips with hers. She suddenly felt as though she was on top of the world, nothing could bring her down. Knowing that this amazing man felt the same way about her caused her stomach to flutter.

She couldn't believe she had once been so scared of telling him her true feelings, it all felt so ridiculous now, that she could have missed out on this incredible moment due to her fear. 

“I can't believe this is happening.” She said blissfully, leaning forward and wrapping him in a hug, her cheek pressed to his. 

He gently rubbed her back, breathing in the citrusy smell of her hair. “What can't you believe?” He asked, kissing her head.

“That I finally found the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.” She admitted, smiling into his shoulder. 

He hooked his finger under her chin, pulling her face up to meet his, brushing his nose against hers. “Yeah?” 

“Definitely.” She said honestly, tilting her head to the side, still smiling. 

Andrew placed his hands on her waist. “I'm glad. Because I just so happen to feel the same way about you. I love you so much Em, I cant wait to continue our life together.” He told her, before he sealed his words with a kiss.   
Andrew takes Emily out for dinner, leading to a surprising revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have a love hate relationship with this chapter, I can't decide if I love it or hate it. But they finally said the three little words! I have no doubt they will be saying it to each other in every chapter from now on:) Reviews are appreciated!


	6. chapter six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and Andrew have their first argument.

Something was off, and Andrew knew it. Ever since he and Emily had woken up this morning, she had been very standoffish, she had barely uttered two words to him all morning, and he was starting to get worried. 

He was currently sitting on the arm of her couch, watching her as she got her purse ready for work. “Do you think you'll get a case?”

Emily ran her fingers through her hair as she turned to face him. “Probably not, the teams on stand down for a week.” She said, her voice completely monotone, her eyes refusing to meet his.

He sighed, standing up and walking over to her. “Em-” 

She cleared her throat. “I'm gonna be late.” She said quickly. She made her way to the door, about to leave, but stopped as she felt his hand on her elbow. She turned and saw his face, one filled with hurt and longing, longing for her to tell him what was wrong, but she couldn't. 

“Um, I'll see you tonight.” She told him, leaning over to quickly peck his cheek.

He opened his mouth to say something, but before the words could tumble from his mouth, she had already left. He closed his eyes, sighing. “I love you.” 

 

Luke, Tara and Matt stood in the break room with the rest of the team, frowning as Emily walked into the bullpen, walking past them without even a hello, before rushing into her office. 

“Is she okay?” Tara asked the others. 

JJ, Reid, Rossi and Penelope all looked at each other, debating what to say. Rossi decided to step up to the plate.

“Um, today's a pretty tough day for her. It brings back a lot of old memories.” 

“What happened?” Luke asked.

They all sighed. 

“Long story short, a guy from her past came back and started stalking her, he attempted to kill her by stabbing her and he got away. So Hotch and I had to fake her death for as long as it took to find him. Today it's been seven years since she 'died', and she's never particularly took the date very well.” JJ told the three of them, leaning back against the counter. 

“Wow... is she okay now?” Matt asked worriedly. 

“Physically yeah,” JJ started, “But mentally I think today will always be pretty rough.” She finished. 

“Do you think she's told Andrew about it?” Penelope asked. 

“From the looks of it, I doubt so.” Reid said, watching Emily move around in her office, before she happen to catch their eye. She stared at them for a second, before her eyes darted downward as she moved forward to shut her office blinds. 

The team sighed. “Think she'll be okay?” Penelope said, her eyebrows furrowed in sympathy for her friend. 

“I think she will be.” Luke said, pulling Garcia into a side hug. “She's a tough person.” 

“I hope she opens up to Andrew, she's been doing so well with it so far. And they fit so well together, I don't want anything to happen to them!” Penelope exclaimed, now getting worried. 

“Garcia, I'm sure they'll be fine.” Tara reassured. 

“But what if they're not?!” 

“They will be. Have some faith in her.” Tara said, patting her friend on the shoulder before sipping her coffee and moving towards her desk. 

JJ, Luke, Matt, Reid followed, leaving Penelope and Rossi alone in the break room. She turned to him, her brown eyes wide, practically begging him to reassure her.

“They will be fine, Penelope.” He said sincerely. 

She didn't look convinced, but nodded anyway, biting her lip. She turned to go back to her office but stopped before she reached the glass doors. She turned back to the older man, and opened her mouth to speak.

“Go, Penelope.” Rossi laughed.

 

Andrew leant against Emily's kitchen counter, his mouth resting on his fist as he was waiting for Emily to get home. He had the day off work, and throughout the entire day, all he could think about was how strange she had been acting that morning. He really thought they had been getting somewhere, he knew how she had really struggled getting close to him at first, but it was different now. She had been opening up to him, she had been letting him in and that's why he couldn't understand why she had been so off with him. 

He had decided that he was going to ask her. He wasn't going to push her, he never had and he didn't plan on starting now, but he was going to try and have her tell him what was wrong. He loved her more than anything, and he wasn't risking loosing her. 

He didn't know how long he was standing there, lost in thought, but it must have been awhile because he was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the front door opening. He turned his head, seeing her walk into the kitchen and placing her purse on the counter. She stopped short when she noticed him. 

“Uh, hey. I thought you went back to your apartment.” she said, her eyes anxiously scanning her apartment, looking anywhere but at him. 

He turned to face her. “Yeah, I was going to, but you seemed a little off this morning. I thought I'd stick around and make sure you were okay.” 

She finally met his eyes. “I'm fine.” She said quickly, a breathy laugh escaping her lips. 

He sighed disappointedly. “Em, I don't want to push you, you know I would never do that to you, but you have got to let me in.” 

Emily closed her eyes, her frustration seeping out. “Look, Andrew, I'm not in the mood for this. I'm fine” 

“Sweetheart, you're clearly not. I'm not expecting you to tell me every tiny detail, I just don't want you to shut me out.” He walked over to stand in front of her. “It's not good for you.” He tried to take her hands, but she snatched them away.

“Andrew,” She said, biting her lip. “I don't know how many times I have to say this, but I'm fine!” She snapped. 

He frowned. “Em-”

“No! I'm fine, there isn't anything wrong, so please just stop asking!” She gave him a glare before storming off into her bedroom, Andrew hot on her heals. 

“Emily we've been together for eight months, and I've never seen you act like this.” He said, watching her as she practically ripped off her blouse, before throwing on her favourite sweater.

She snorted. “Oh, so that means you know absolutely everything about me?”

His jaw dropped. “Emily I never said that.” 

She turned her head away from him. “Look, I appreciate your concern but I don't want to talk about this.” She said through her teeth.

“And that's fine. But why keep telling me that you're fine when you're not? I'm not trying to make you tell me everything, I just want you to be honest with me.” He said desperately. 

“You want honesty?” She said, her voice raising. 

“Yes I do!” 

“Sometimes I don't want to tell you how I'm feeling! Sometimes saying I'm fine is easier than admitting I'm not!” She yelled, a tear strolling down her cheek. “Why can't you understand that?” 

“I do understand that Emily! Why can't you understand that the last thing I ever want is to push you? I would never purposely make you uncomfortable and you know that! Do you honestly think lying about it is going to help?” 

Emily sighed sadly. Her head dropped down to look at the floor.

“I know it's not going to help. The past few months of being able to get things off my chest to someone who I finally trust has been amazing. But deep down I am shit scared that one day it's all going to be too much and you'll leave! And if that happened I don't think I could pick myself back up!” She angrily wiped her tears, running her hand over her face. 

“Emily,” He walked over to her, trying to take her hands again but she just stepped back. 

“No, just... I'm sorry for not talking Andrew, I really am. Today... today is just a really tough day. And I- I don't think I'm ready to-” She waved her hand in front of her, trying to hold back the sobs that were desperately trying to come out. 

He walked over to her, and held her to him. She struggled against him for a moment, but eventually gave in to him and melted into his embrace, and she finally let the tears flow freely. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, clutching tightly to the back of his shirt. 

He felt her tears soak his shirt, and his heart went out to her. “It's okay honey,” He kissed her head. “Let it out, I'm never going to leave you.” 

Seconds later, a wave of emotions washed over her and she couldn't hold back the sobs any more. The came out one by one, each one painfully hitting her body. 

He rocked her gently from side to side, occasionally whispering sweet, reassuring words to her. Soon she calmed down, her racking sobs turning into small sniffles. She eventually lessened her grip on him, pulling back to wipe away the evidence of her tears. She looked up at him, a tiny smile forming. “Thank you for being here.” 

He kissed her head again, holding his lips to her hair. “ I'm always here for you sweetheart. And as for opening up to me, It's completely fine for you to be hesitant at times.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you Emily.” 

She returned the kiss. “I love you too Andrew. Thank you for being patient with me.” She said, just getting the words out before a yawn surpassed her lips. 

“You tired?” He asked, stroking her hair.

She nodded, her hand smoothing back her bangs. “Yeah. I've been stressing out the past few days. I guess it really took a toll on me.” 

“Why don't we take a nap? It's not too late, we could order some take out when we wake up.” He suggested, his head tilting to the side, indicating to the bed. 

She smiled tiredly. “Yeah, I'd like that.” 

He let go of her, and they both quickly changed into their pyjamas, before climbing into bed, Emily curling up on his chest, practically atop of him. He kissed her head, stroking his hand up and down her back as she lazily drew circles on his chest. 

“You feeling a little better now?” He whispered to her, feeling her breathing relax.

“Yeah, a lot.” She whispered back, tilting her head up slightly to look into his eyes, her chin resting on her hand. 

He smiled down at her, pulling her close and kissing her forehead, his lips not detaching from her as he spoke. 

“Good, now get some rest baby.” 

She snuggled down against him, his arms wrapped tightly around her, the warmth of his body pressed against her and the feel of his hands slowly going up and down her back quickly had her falling into sleep. Within minutes, she had drifted into a deep slumber. 

He was content with just watching her sleep for awhile. He watched as her head unconsciously nuzzled into his chest, her hand slowly moving up his torso until it rested just above his heart.

He smiled sleepily at her before resting his chin on top of her head, continuing the small movements across the small of her back. After awhile, his actions slowed, his eyes getting heavy, and it wasn't too long before he joined her in the land of sleep. 

 

Andrew stifled a groan, his eyebrows furrowed deeply as his eyes blearily blinked open. He lifted his free hand to his face, rubbing it across his eyes and down to his jaw before stretching across to look at Emily's alarm clock. His eyes widened as he saw the time. Eight in the morning. Their nap had turned into a whole nights sleep. 

He looked down at Emily, and couldn't help but admire her beauty. She looked so relaxed while she slept, like nothing could touch her, he wished more than anything to keep her feeling like that. He brought his hand up to her face and gently caressed her jaw, his other hand tightening around her shoulder. 

She started to stir, he watched as her eyes tiredly blinked open, immediately landing on his. She smiled sleepily, shifting impossibly closer to him, her arm that wasn't locked around his waist moving to rest under her head. 

“Hi, what time is it?” She said, her voice gravely with sleep.

“Eight.” 

Her eyes popped open, suddenly more awake. “In the morning?” 

He nodded. 

“Wow, that's the most sleep I've gotten in months.” She chuckled. 

He laughed with her, his fingers starting to softly comb through her hair. 

“Mmm, keep that up and you may send me back to sleep.” She murmured, eyes closing. 

“How about I make us some breakfast?” He said.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” She replied, sitting up on her elbow to look down at him. 

“I love you.” She whispered sincerely.

He leaned up to kiss her softly. “I love you too, Em.” 

“Good. Now go make us some breakfast.” She swatted his arm playfully, before laying back against her pillows. 

He quickly kissed her again before he got out of bed and headed to the kitchen.

She watched the door for a moment, lost in thought. She bit her lip as she thought about what had happened the day before. A wave of guilt washed over her as she recalled how she had behaved yesterday, she'd treated him so badly, yet he still treated her like she was the only woman in the world. 

She sighed and sat up in bed, biting her lip. It's now or never Em.

 

“Hey, Andrew?” Emily asked, watching him from behind as he made their breakfast. 

He turned, spatula in hand. “What's up?” He asked. 

“Can we talk?” she said nervously, her hands twisting together. 

He looked concerned. He quickly switched off the stove and turned to fully face her, leaning back against the counter, gesturing with his hand for her to come closer. 

She went forward and he put his hands on her waist, pulling her to him. She brought her thumb up to her mouth and started gnawing on her nail, her nerves escalating. 

“What is it?” He asked. 

“I wanted to talk to you about why I was acting so off yesterday.” she breathed out. 

“Em, you don't have to-”

She shook her head. “No, no, I need to do this.” 

He gripped her tighter, nodding at her to continue. “Okay.” 

She took a deep, shaky breath. “Um, something, uh pretty bad, happened to me a few years ago.” She stopped, suddenly feeling like her throat was closing up. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to control her now slightly chaotic breathing. Andrew took both her hands in his, rubbing the back of them softly, telling her without words that he was there for her. 

“When I was younger I was recruited into the CIA. I can't give away anything major, but I did undercover work . Then, one day, my boss told me he wanted to see me. In the meeting, he told me that there was a position in a major undercover operation and if I was willing to take it. After going over the files, I decided to take it. It took months of preparation, but finally the day came and I was sent in.” She paused, looking up to meet his eyes. 

“I was sent to get information on an IRA captain named Ian Doyle. After a while, things were moving too slowly, I wasn't getting close enough to him, so the higher ups told me that I had to go in deeper. I had to be his lover.” She took enough breath, no longer shaky, almost ashamedly. 

“I'm not proud of what I did. But if given the opportunity, I wouldn't change it. While I was under, I found out that he had a son, Declan. He was such an amazing little boy, so innocent, I loved him like he was my own. I couldn't let Ian corrupt him. So I finished the job. And after what felt like years, we had enough on him and he went to jail. We made him believe that I had died in a car accident, and we staged Declan's death too. Declan found a new home, so I relocated to be closer to him and everything was fine for a while.” Emily looked down again, her hands starting to get angsty. “Then, Eight years later, an old colleague told me that he had escaped. I knew he'd be coming after anyone involved in his arrest, and someone on my old team ratted us out, so he had all of our real identities and knew I wasn't dead. He killed most of my old team and their families and he saved me for last. He'd been tormenting me for weeks, so I decided to take the battle to him.”

Andrew's eyes softened and a look of concern bloomed across his face.

“He kept me in a warehouse, I was tied up to a chair. He uh, branded a clover on my chest.” She but her lip, her hand unconsciously going over said area. “That's why there's a scar there, I had it removed but there will always be that reminder. The team found out where I was, but before they could get to me in time, there was conflict, and he stabbed me with a wooden table leg in my stomach.” Emily nodded, a stray tear falling. “He got away... and I was taken to the hospital. I just made it out of the situation alive, I flat lined twice. I was in a coma for two weeks, and when I woke up I was told that Emily Prentiss had been declared dead.” She let out a sad laugh.

“I had no say in the matter, Doyle was still out there and until he was located I had to be 'dead'. It took seven months, but finally I got the call saying I could come back home. The team were... so confused, so betrayed. I can still see the look on there faces, I hurt them all so badly. I never regained there full trust, so when I got the job offer to Interpol in London, I took it.” There was now a stream of tears flowing from her eyes, she didn't bother trying to console them. 

“That's why I was so off, yesterday it was seven years since I 'died'.” She finished.

Andrew took Emily into his strong arms, wrapping her up into his comforting embrace. He felt her erratic breathing, a sign of her trying to calm herself. He rubbed her back, his palm flat against the smooth fabric of her silk robe. 

He pulled away and placed both of his hands on either side of her face, the tips of his fingers brushing her hair. He looked deep into her eyes, almost feeling as if they could read each others thoughts. 

“I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that Em, thank you for telling me.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

“I feel like an idiot for reacting like this.” She rolled her eyes, sniffling, and wiping away her tears. 

He frowned, shaking his head rapidly. “Sweetheart, What you went through was traumatic, I'd be more worried if you hadn't have been upset. You can't compartmentalise everything, I think your head would explode.” He joked, causing a small giggle to escape her lips. 

“You're not mad?” She asked slightly uncertainly. 

“Why would I be mad?” He asked, his hand running up and down her arm.

“Because of all the stuff I did while I was undercover.” 

“No, of course not. I understand more than anyone what it's like working a job like that. I would never hold that over you.” He told her. He hooked a lock of hair behind her ear, her head tilting to the side almost automatically.

“Thank you so much for putting up with all my crap.” She smiled lightly. 

“I wouldn't have you any other way Em. I'll always love you, no matter what.” He said honestly. 

She started at him. “As amazingly sweet as that was, I only just stopped crying, and I really don't want to start again.” 

He just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess you could say the summary was slightly misleading huh? Not really an 'argument', but I hated writing that! Them fighting was difficult to put into words. But I still hope you enjoyed it! Feedback is really appreciated:)


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